Resource Assignments for Relay System and Method

ABSTRACT

A method for allocating uplink resources to a relay node. The method includes an access node allocating a plurality of disparate uplink resources to the relay node in a single downlink transmission to the relay node.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/722,417 filed Mar. 11, 2010 entitled, “Resource Assignments for RelaySystem and Method” (Attorney Docket No. 35131-US-PAT-4214-16001), whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/160,163filed Mar. 13, 2009 entitled, “Resource Assignments for Relay System andMethod” (Attorney Docket No. 35131-US-PRV-4214-16000); U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/160,156 filed Mar. 13, 2009 entitled, “RelayLink Control Channel Design” (Attorney Docket No.35081-US-PRV-4214-15800); and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/160,158 filed Mar. 13, 2009 entitled, “Relay ReceptionSynchronization System and Method” (Attorney Docket No.35130-US-PRV-4214-15900), all of which are incorporated by referenceherein as if reproduced in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

As used herein, the terms “user agent” and “UA” might in some casesrefer to mobile devices such as mobile telephones, personal digitalassistants, handheld or laptop computers, and similar devices that havetelecommunications capabilities. Such a UA might consist of a UA and itsassociated removable memory module, such as but not limited to aUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) that includes a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) application, a Universal Subscriber IdentityModule (USIM) application, or a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM)application. Alternatively, such a UA might consist of the device itselfwithout such a module. In other cases, the term “UA” might refer todevices that have similar capabilities but that are not transportable,such as desktop computers, set-top boxes, or network appliances. Theterm “UA” can also refer to any hardware or software component that canterminate a communication session for a user. Also, the terms “useragent,” “UA,” “user equipment,” “UE,” “user device” and “user node”might be used synonymously herein.

As telecommunications technology has evolved, more advanced networkaccess equipment has been introduced that can provide services that werenot possible previously. This network access equipment might includesystems and devices that are improvements of the equivalent equipment ina traditional wireless telecommunications system. Such advanced or nextgeneration equipment may be included in evolving wireless communicationsstandards, such as long-term evolution (LTE). For example, an LTE systemmight include an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network(E-UTRAN) node B (eNB), a wireless access point, or a similar componentrather than a traditional base station. As used herein, the term “accessnode” will refer to any component of the wireless network, such as atraditional base station, a wireless access point, or an LTE eNB, thatcreates a geographical area of reception and transmission coverageallowing a UA or a relay node to access other components in atelecommunications system. An access node may comprise a plurality ofhardware and software.

The term “access node” may not refer to a “relay node,” which is acomponent in a wireless network that is configured to extend or enhancethe coverage created by an access node or another relay node. The accessnode and relay node are both radio components that may be present in awireless communications network, and the terms “component” and “networknode” may refer to an access node or relay node. It is understood that acomponent might operate as an access node or a relay node depending onits configuration and placement. However, a component is called a “relaynode” only if it requires the wireless coverage of an access node orother relay node to access other components in a wireless communicationssystem. Additionally, two or more relay nodes may be used serially toextend or enhance coverage created by an access node.

An LTE system can include protocols such as a Radio Resource Control(RRC) protocol, which is responsible for the assignment, configuration,and release of radio resources between a UA and a network node or otherLTE equipment. The RRC protocol is described in detail in the ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS)36.331. According to the RRC protocol, the two basic RRC modes for a UAare defined as “idle mode” and “connected mode.” During the connectedmode or state, the UA may exchange signals with the network and performother related operations, while during the idle mode or state, the UAmay shut down at least some of its connected mode operations. Idle andconnected mode behaviors are described in detail in 3GPP TS 36.304 andTS 36.331.

The signals that carry data between UAs, relay nodes, and access nodescan have frequency, time, and coding parameters and othercharacteristics that might be specified by a network node. A connectionbetween any of these elements that has a specific set of suchcharacteristics can be referred to as a resource. The terms “resource,”“communications connection,” “channel,” and “communications link” mightbe used synonymously herein. A network node typically establishes adifferent resource for each UA or other network node with which it iscommunicating at any particular time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication system thatincludes a relay node, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2a is a diagram of a standard subframe of data.

FIG. 2b is a diagram of an MBSFN subframe of data.

FIG. 3a is a diagram of a procedure for allocating uplink resources to auser agent according to the prior art.

FIG. 3b is a diagram of an alternative procedure for allocating uplinkresources to a user agent according to the prior art.

FIG. 3c is a diagram of a procedure for allocating uplink resources to arelay node according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a processor and related components suitable forimplementing the several embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implementedusing any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence.The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, includingthe exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and describedherein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claimsalong with their full scope of equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication system 100that includes a relay node 102, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure. Examples of the wireless communication system 100 includeLTE or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) networks, and all of the disclosed andclaimed embodiments could be implemented in an LTE-A network. The relaynode 102 can amplify or repeat a signal received from a UA 110 and causethe modified signal to be received at an access node 106. In someimplementations of a relay node 102, the relay node 102 receives asignal with data from the UA 110 and then generates a new signal totransmit the data to the access node 106. The relay node 102 can alsoreceive data from the access node 106 and deliver the data to the UA110.

The relay node 102 might be placed near the edges of a cell so that theUA 110 can communicate with the relay node 102 rather than communicatingdirectly with the access node 106 for that cell. In radio systems, acell is a geographical area of reception and transmission coverage.Cells can overlap with each other. In the typical example, there is oneaccess node associated with each cell. The size of a cell is determinedby factors such as frequency band, power level, and channel conditions.Relay nodes, such as relay node 102, can be used to enhance coveragewithin a cell or to extend the size of coverage of a cell. Additionally,the use of a relay node 102 can enhance throughput of a signal within acell because the UA 110 can access the relay node 102 at a higher datarate than the UA 110 might use when communicating directly with theaccess node 106 for that cell, thus creating higher spectrum efficiency.The use of a relay node 102 can also decrease the UA's battery usage byallowing the UA 110 to transmit at a lower power.

Relay nodes can be divided into three types: layer one relay nodes,layer two relay nodes, and layer three relay nodes. A layer one relaynode is essentially a repeater that can retransmit a transmissionwithout any modification other than amplification and slight delay. Alayer two relay node can decode a transmission that it receives,re-encode the result of the decoding, and then transmit the re-encodeddata. A layer three relay node can have full radio resource controlcapabilities and can thus function similarly to an access node. Theradio resource control protocols used by a relay node may be the same asthose used by an access node, and the relay node may have a unique cellidentity typically used by an access node. The illustrative embodimentsare primarily concerned with layer two or layer three relay nodes.Therefore, as used herein, the term “relay node” will not refer to layerone relay nodes, unless specifically stated otherwise.

When the UA 110 is communicating with the access node 106 via the relaynode 102, the links that allow wireless communication can be said to beof three distinct types. The communication link between the UA 110 andthe relay node 102 is said to occur over an access link 108. Thecommunication between the relay node 102 and the access node 106 is saidto occur over a relay link 104. Communication that passes directlybetween the UA 110 and the access node 106 without passing through therelay node 102 is said to occur over a direct link 112.

The access node 106 sends data to the relay node 102 in a series ofsubframes, each of which consists of a relatively shorter control regionfollowed by a relatively longer data region. The control region, orphysical downlink control channel (PDCCH), typically consists of one tofour orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The dataregion, or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), can be considerablylonger. The relay node 102 sends data to the UA 110 in a similar format.

Some of the subframes that the relay node 102 sends to the UA 110contain data only in the PDCCH region and not in the PDSCH region. Forhistorical reasons, such subframes are known as Multicast/BroadcastSingle Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes. FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate astandard subframe 210 and an MBSFN subframe 220, respectively. Thestandard subframe 210 consists of a PDCCH region 212 that containscontrol information and a PDSCH region 214 that contains the actual datathat is to be transmitted. The MBSFN subframe 220 also includes thePDCCH region 212, but the remainder of the MBSFN subframe 220 consistsof a transmission gap 224 rather than PDSCH data.

When the relay node 102 sends a standard subframe 210 to the UA 110, therelay node 102 typically transmits data throughout the duration of thesubframe 210. For an MBSFN subframe 220, the relay node 102 transmitsdata only for the duration of the PDCCH region 212 and then disables itstransmitter for the duration of the transmission gap 224. For varioustechnical and expense reasons, the relay node 102 typically cannottransmit and receive data at the same time. Therefore, the relay node102 can typically receive data from the access node 106 only after therelay node 102 has completed transmitting PDCCH data and has disabledits transmitter. That is, the relay node 102 receives data only duringthe transmission gap portion 224 of an MBSFN subframe 220.

Among the data that the relay node 102 might need to receive from theaccess node 106 is an uplink grant informing the relay node 102 of aresource that the relay node 102 can use to transmit data to the accessnode 106. When the relay node 102 wishes to send data to the access node106, the relay node 102 can send a resource request to the access node106. The access node 106 can then, in a downlink transmission to therelay node 102, allocate a resource to the relay node 102 that the relaynode 102 can use to send its data to the access node 106. That is, theaccess node 106 might grant the relay node 102 the use of acommunication channel with a specific set of frequency parameters andother characteristics that the relay node 102 can use on an uplink tothe access node 106.

Since the relay node 102 can receive data from the access node 106 onlywhen the relay node 102 is not transmitting, the relay node 102 may beable to receive the uplink grant from the access node 106 only in anMBSFN subframe 220. MBSFN subframes might comprise only a small portionof the data that the access node 106 sends to the relay node 102.Therefore, the access node 106 has only limited opportunities toallocate uplink resources to the relay node 102.

In an embodiment, in a single downlink transmission to a relay node 102,an access node 106 grants a plurality of uplink resources to be used bythe relay node 102 in a plurality of future subframes. The access node106 specifies the resources (for example, the frequencies) that therelay node 102 should use for each of the uplinks as well as the timingfor the uplinks (that is, the subframes in which the relay node 102should transmit to the access node 106). This can allow the access node106 to take fuller advantage of its limited opportunities to allocateuplink resources to the relay node 102.

This embodiment can be contrasted with current procedures by which anaccess node 106 can allocate uplink resources to a UA 110 when a relaynode 102 is not present. In one procedure, the UA 110 might request anuplink resource, and the access node 106 might allocate a singleresource based on the request. The UA 110 can then transmit data to theaccess node 106 using the allocated uplink resource. When the UA 110needs another resource, the UA 110 makes another resource request andreceives another resource grant.

This is illustrated in FIG. 3a , where the UA 110 sends a request 310for resources to the access node 106. The access node 106 then sends theUA 110 an allocation 320 of an uplink resource. The UA 110 then sendsthe access node 106 a transmission 330 of data on the allocated uplinkresource. The length of time 340 between the allocation 320 of theresource and the transmission 330 on the uplink is fixed. In this case,the UA 110 transmits to the access node 106 four milliseconds afterreceiving a resource grant. This sequence of a request 310 on theuplink, an allocation 320 on the downlink, and a transmission 330 ofdata on the uplink at fixed time after the allocation 320 can berepeated each time the UA 110 needs to transmit data on the uplink.

In another procedure, a technique known as semi-persistent scheduling(SPS) can be used. With SPS, the UA 110 makes a single resource request.The access node 106 then allocates a fixed set of uplink resources tothe UA 110 based on the single request. The UA 110 then uses the fixedresources to send data to the access node 106 on a periodic basis. TheUA 110 does not need to make any further resource requests.

This is illustrated in FIG. 3b , where the UA 110 sends a singe resourcerequest 310 to the access node 106. The access node 106 then sends theUA 110 an allocation 320 of a fixed set of periodic uplink resources.The UA 110 sends the access node 106 a transmission 330 of data on thefirst of the periodic uplink resources. After a fixed period 350 oftime, the UA 110 uses an uplink resource with the same characteristicsas the previously allocated resource to transmit to the access node 106.After another fixed period 350 of time, the UA 110 makes anothertransmission 330 on the next fixed periodic resource. The periodictransmissions 330 might continue to be repeated indefinitely.

In the first of these procedures, whenever a resource allocation to theUA 110 occurs, only a single resource is granted, and the grant appliesto only one future subframe. The time when the allocated resource is tobe used for an uplink transmission cannot be specified, but is insteadfixed at a certain period of time after the allocation. In the second ofthese procedures, resource allocation signaling on the downlink occursonly one time, but the resource availability is periodic, and the sameresource is used each time.

By contrast, in the present embodiments, a multi-subframe allocationoccurs. That is, in a single allocation of resources to the relay node102, resource information is provided for multiple future subframes. Thetimes when the uplinks associated with each of the allocations are tooccur are specified and are not necessarily periodic. A differentresource could be allocated for each subframe. Resources might beprovided, for example, for multiple consecutive future subframes, formultiple non-consecutive but periodic future subframes, or for multiplenon-consecutive, non-periodic future subframes.

An embodiment of resource allocation in this manner is illustrated inFIG. 3c , where the relay node 102 sends a request 310 for resources tothe access node 106. The access node 106 then sends the relay node 102 amulti-subframe allocation 360 of uplink resources. Each allocation inthe multi-subframe allocation 360 specifies a resource that the relaynode 102 can use and a time when the relay node 102 can use thatresource. The resources can be different from one another, and the timesare not necessarily periodic. The relay node 102 can then send theaccess node 106 a transmission 370 of uplink data on each of thedisparate resources at each of the specified times. In this example,three uplink transmissions 370 occur, but in other cases, other numbersof uplink resources could have been allocated. There need not be anyregularity or periodicity in the lengths of time 380 between thetransmissions 370, but such regularity can be provided, if desired.

While this embodiment has applied to multi-subframe uplink resourceallocations from an access node to a relay node, similar considerationscould apply to allocations from an access node to a UA.

The UA 110 and other components described above might include aprocessing component that is capable of executing instructions relatedto the actions described above. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of asystem 1300 that includes a processing component 1310 suitable forimplementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. In addition tothe processor 1310 (which may be referred to as a central processor unitor CPU), the system 1300 might include network connectivity devices1320, random access memory (RAM) 1330, read only memory (ROM) 1340,secondary storage 1350, and input/output (I/O) devices 1360. Thesecomponents might communicate with one another via a bus 1370. In somecases, some of these components may not be present or may be combined invarious combinations with one another or with other components notshown. These components might be located in a single physical entity orin more than one physical entity. Any actions described herein as beingtaken by the processor 1310 might be taken by the processor 1310 aloneor by the processor 1310 in conjunction with one or more componentsshown or not shown in the drawing, such as a digital signal processor(DSP) 1380. Although the DSP 1380 is shown as a separate component, theDSP 1380 might be incorporated into the processor 1310.

The processor 1310 executes instructions, codes, computer programs, orscripts that it might access from the network connectivity devices 1320,RAM 1330, ROM 1340, or secondary storage 1350 (which might includevarious disk-based systems such as hard disk, floppy disk, or opticaldisk). While only one CPU 1310 is shown, multiple processors may bepresent. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as being executed bya processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially,or otherwise by one or multiple processors. The processor 1310 may beimplemented as one or more CPU chips.

The network connectivity devices 1320 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet devices, universal serial bus (USB) interface devices,serial interfaces, token ring devices, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) devices, wireless local area network (WLAN) devices, radiotransceiver devices such as code division multiple access (CDMA)devices, global system for mobile communications (GSM) radio transceiverdevices, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)devices, and/or other well-known devices for connecting to networks.These network connectivity devices 1320 may enable the processor 1310 tocommunicate with the Internet or one or more telecommunications networksor other networks from which the processor 1310 might receiveinformation or to which the processor 1310 might output information. Thenetwork connectivity devices 1320 might also include one or moretransceiver components 1325 capable of transmitting and/or receivingdata wirelessly.

The RAM 1330 might be used to store volatile data and perhaps to storeinstructions that are executed by the processor 1310. The ROM 1340 is anon-volatile memory device that typically has a smaller memory capacitythan the memory capacity of the secondary storage 1350. ROM 1340 mightbe used to store instructions and perhaps data that are read duringexecution of the instructions. Access to both RAM 1330 and ROM 1340 istypically faster than to secondary storage 1350. The secondary storage1350 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drivesand might be used for non-volatile storage of data or as an over-flowdata storage device if RAM 1330 is not large enough to hold all workingdata. Secondary storage 1350 may be used to store programs that areloaded into RAM 1330 when such programs are selected for execution.

The I/O devices 1360 may include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touchscreen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches, dials, mice, track balls,voice recognizers, card readers, paper tape readers, printers, videomonitors, or other well-known input/output devices. Also, thetransceiver 1325 might be considered to be a component of the I/Odevices 1360 instead of or in addition to being a component of thenetwork connectivity devices 1320.

In an embodiment, a method is provided for allocating uplink resourcesto a relay node. The method includes an access node allocating aplurality of disparate uplink resources to the relay node in a singledownlink transmission to the relay node.

In another embodiment, an access node in a wireless telecommunicationssystem is provided. The access node includes a processor configured suchthat the access node informs a relay node of a plurality of disparateuplink resources available for use by the relay node.

In another embodiment, a relay node in a wireless telecommunicationssystem is provided. The relay node includes a processor configured suchthat the relay node receives from an access node information related toa plurality of disparate uplink resources that the relay node can use totransmit data to the access node.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for allocating uplinkresources to a relay node. The method includes an access node allocatinga plurality of uplink resources to the relay node in a single downlinktransmission to the relay node, wherein the uplink resources are madeavailable on non-periodic basis.

In another embodiment, an access node in a wireless telecommunicationssystem is provided. The access node includes a processor configured suchthat the access node informs a relay node of a plurality of uplinkresources available for use by the relay node, wherein the access nodespecifies a plurality of non-periodic times at which the relay node canuse the plurality of uplink resources.

In another embodiment, a relay node in a wireless telecommunicationssystem is provided. The relay node includes a processor configured suchthat the relay node receives from an access node information related toa plurality of uplink resources that the relay node can use to transmitdata to the access node. The processor is further configured such thatthe relay node receives information related to a plurality ofnon-periodic times at which the relay node can transmit data to theaccess node on the uplink resources. The processor is further configuredsuch that the relay node transmits the data at the times.

The following are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes: 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS)36.813 and 3GPP TS 36.814.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limitedto the details given herein. For example, the various elements orcomponents may be combined or integrated in another system or certainfeatures may be omitted, or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled orcommunicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicatingthrough some interface, device, or intermediate component, whetherelectrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes,substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in theart and could be made without departing from the spirit and scopedisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for allocating uplink resources to auser agent (UA), comprising: an access node allocating a disparate setof uplink resources to be used by the UA to transmit data to the accessnode at different times, wherein the access node allocates the disparateset of uplink resources in response to receiving only a single resourcerequest from the UA, wherein the access node specifies a plurality ofdifferent subframes in which the UA is to use each of the respectiveuplink resources, wherein the disparate set of uplink resources occupydifferent symbols within the plurality of different subframes.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the access node specifies to the UA aplurality of different frequencies in which the different symbols arelocated within the plurality of different subframes, respectively. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink resources are to be used bythe UA for an indefinite duration.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theaccess node specifies a plurality of non-periodic times at which theplurality of different subframes are available for the UA to use each ofthe respective uplink resources.
 5. An access node in a wirelesstelecommunications system, comprising: a transceiver configured toreceive a resource request; and a processor configured such that inresponse to receiving only a single resource request, the access nodeallocates a disparate set of uplink resources to a user agent (UA),wherein the disparate set of uplink resources are made available for useby the UA for uplink transmissions via a plurality of differentsubframes occurring at non-periodic times, wherein the disparate set ofuplink resources occupy different symbols within the plurality ofdifferent subframes.
 6. The access node of claim 5, wherein the accessnode specifies to the UA a plurality of different frequencies in whichthe different symbols are located within the plurality of differentsubframes, respectively.
 7. The access node of claim 5, wherein theaccess node allocates the disparate set of uplink resources for the UAto use for an indefinite duration.
 8. A user agent (UA) in a wirelesstelecommunications system, comprising: a transceiver sending a resourcerequest; and a processor configured such that in response to sendingonly a single resource request, the UA receives from an access node adisparate set of uplink resources for transmitting data to the accessnode at non-periodic times, wherein the UA is configured to receive anindication from the access node that specifies a plurality of differentsubframes in which the UA is to use each of the respective uplinkresources, wherein the disparate set of uplink resources occupydifferent symbols within the plurality of different subframes.
 9. Theuser agent of claim 8, wherein the indication from the access nodefurther specifies a plurality of different frequencies in which thedifferent symbols are located within the plurality of differentsubframes, respectively.
 10. The UA of claim 8, wherein the processor isconfigured to use the uplink resources for an indefinite duration.
 11. Amethod for allocating uplink resources to a user agent (UA), comprising:an access node allocating a disparate set of uplink resources to the UAin response to receiving only a single resource request from the UA,wherein the disparate set of uplink resources occupy different symbolswithin a plurality of different subframes in which the UA is to use eachof the respective uplink resources.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe access node specifies to the UA a plurality of different frequenciesin which the different symbols are located within the plurality ofdifferent subframes, respectively.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereinthe uplink resources are allocated for the UA to use for an indefiniteduration.
 14. The method node of claim 11, wherein the access nodespecifies a plurality of non-periodic times at which the plurality ofdifferent subframes are available for the UA to use each of therespective uplink resources.
 15. An access node in a wirelesstelecommunications system, comprising: a transceiver configured toreceive resource requests; and a processor configured such that inresponse to receiving only a single resource request from a user agent(UA), the access node allocates a disparate set of uplink resourcesavailable for use by the UA, wherein the disparate set of uplinkresources occupy different symbols within a plurality of differentsubframes, wherein the access node specifies a plurality of non-periodictimes at which the plurality of different subframes are available forthe UA to use each of the respective uplink resources.
 16. The accessnode of claim 15, wherein the different symbols are located within theplurality of different subframes in different frequencies than oneanother.
 17. The access node of claim 15, wherein the access nodeallocates the disparate set of uplink resources for the UA to use for anindefinite duration.
 18. A user agent (UA) in a wirelesstelecommunications system, comprising: a transceiver sending resourcerequests; and a processor configured such that in response to sendingonly a single resource request, the UA receives from an access node adisparate set of uplink resources for transmitting data to the accessnode, wherein the disparate set of uplink resources occupy differentsymbols within a plurality of different subframes in which the UA is touse each of the respective uplink resources.
 19. The UA of claim 18,wherein UA is configured to receive an indication from the access nodethat specifies a plurality of non-periodic times for using each of theuplink resources in the plurality of different subframes, respectively.20. The UA of claim 18, wherein the UA is configured to use thedisparate set of uplink resources for an indefinite duration.